Starting Out
by teddyshoney
Summary: Kurt's attitude has started to change for the worst. Puck wants to do something about it, but until he and Kurt have a heart-to-heart, he doesn't know what. But it may be something a bit unconventional. Of course, what about their relationship isn't? WARNING: MAY CONTAIN SPANKING OF A CONSENTING MINOR! If you don't like it, don't read. Same 'verse as The Proposal
1. What Kurt Wants

"Okay, boys. Carole and I are leaving now. We'll be back on Tuesday morning sometime. Probably after you boys get to school. No parties, but beyond that, have fun. We're going to." Burt winked at Carole as he grabbed their bags from the floor next to the front door.

"Just go, Dad," came Kurt's retort from his place next to Puck on the couch. "We'll be fine." Kurt's voice dripped with irritation. "Have fun." His tone clearly implied that he hoped they would not.

Noah nudged Kurt hard, glaring at him as Noah nodded toward Burt. "Apologize," he mouthed.

Kurt scowled, shaking his head no. "Bye, Dad." With that, Kurt rose and stalked up to his room.

As Puck rose to follow, Burt cleared his throat. "I- hope the weekend gets better..." he trailed off. He wanted to say more, but he couldn't apologize for his son, and he and Carole needed to leave. As if sensing that he might want a private moment, Carole quickly gave Burt's arm a squeeze as she headed out toward the door. "I hope he won't be unhappy the whole time."

Puck gave him a smile, trying to make it as genuine as he could. "We'll be okay, Mr. Hummel. You and Mrs. Hudson have fun. Kurt and I will have a good weekend, too. See you later." Puck waved as he walked toward the stairs.

Burt, with a sigh of relief, grabbed the door handle. He took a deep breath, feeling some of the stress begin to fall off his shoulders already. "Coming, Carole!" he called, and the door swung shut with a thump behind him.

Puck fumed to himself as he trekked up the stairs to Kurt's room. He didn't know what was going on for sure, but he needed to get to the bottom of it because this needed to end. Now. Though he and Kurt had only been together for about four months, Noah was already seeing a change in Kurt's behavior, especially toward his father. Puck couldn't pinpoint when it had started for sure, but it hadn't been going on for very long, maybe only a few weeks. Noah was tired of the attitude, though. Kurt was disrespectful to his father, causing the two of them to argue. Arguing with Burt always put Kurt in a semi-permanent bad mood which made him grumpy with Noah. Nothing that was going on was good for any of them, and Noah intended to tell Kurt that he needed to knock it off.

All plans for any stern lectures were canceled when Noah got to Kurt's bedroom, however. Kurt was laying on his stomach on the bed, an afghan thrown haphazardly across himself and a pillow over his head. Noah could hear quiet sobs and loud sniffles coming from under the pillow, and the sounds of sad Kurt nearly broke his heart. Noah sat on the edge of the bed and slowly ran his hand up and down Kurt's back a few times, hand beneath the blanket. "Baby, what's wrong?" he asked gently.

A muffled, "Nothing," filtered out from underneath the pillow followed by a few snuffs.

"Baby, that's not true. You're upset and crying for a reason."

"'s stupid."

"Can we talk about it, please? Come out."

"Don't wanna."

"Baby, please. I can't help if I don't know what's wrong."

"You can't help! No one can," Kurt wailed from beneath the pillow, and the tears began again.

Noah waited a few minutes for the sobs to become hiccups. Then, he grabbed the pillow from on top of Kurt's head. Kurt tried to grab it back, whining in protest, but Noah expertly kept it out of Kurt's grasp, tossing the pillow to the floor before grabbing Kurt and pulling him onto his lap.

Kurt resisted for a moment but began to relax into Noah's solid form as Noah whispered in his ear.

"Kurt, I love you. Whatever is upsetting you isn't so bad. I want to help, but you have to tell me what's wrong. I don't like it when you cry." As he spoke, Noah adjusted the afghan over the two of them, giving Kurt something to play with as he sat on Noah's lap, knees close to his chest.

There was a long pause of silence. Noah thought he was going to have to plead again but just as he opened his mouth to try, Kurt whispered, "It's my dad."

It took all Puck had not to snort at that. He'd pretty much gathered that, considering that the crying hadn't begun until after his dad left. "Yeah? What about your dad?" he asked instead. He didn't want Kurt to clam up again.

"He doesn't love me anymore," came the miserable whisper.

"Baby, of course your dad loves you. You're his son."

"Loves Finn and Carole more."

"No. He-"

"Yes, he does! He takes Finn to football games and Carole on long trips. He even likes to talk to them more than me. I never get invited to go anywhere, and he doesn't talk to me."

Noah didn't really know what to say. He knew that Burt loved Kurt a lot, but Kurt did have a point in that Burt seemed to spend a lot of time with the Hudson's. Who could blame him? He was dating for the first time since he lost his wife, and he had someone who loved sports as much as he did. Noah could see where Burt was coming from. But for Kurt, it wasn't that easy. Ever since coming out, his relationship with his father had been work. Now he was feeling unloved and unappreciated. Noah decided to try to get Kurt to empathize.

"Honey, your dad loves you. He really does. But think of it this way. Do you like sports?"

Kurt shook his head no.

"Then you wouldn't want to go to football games with him. Would you like to go to a car convention?"

Another no.

"So you wouldn't want to go on this trip either. I know it's hard to see when you feel this way, but your dad does love you. He's just struggling to handle what he wants and taking care of you."

Kurt actually snorted at that, turning in Noah's lap to face him. "Take care of me?" Kurt said sadly. "My dad hasn't taken care of me in years. When my mom died, I stopped having a parent. Instead, I had a roommate. I took over cooking and cleaning and shopping. I got my dad organized and the only things he really had to do were take me to school and go to work. He wasn't even dating until I introduced him to Carole." Kurt sighed, shifting again in Noah's lap so he could cuddle against Noah's chest without facing him. His long fingers picked at the edge of the afghan as he spoke again. "You're right. I know my dad loves me. But he doesn't know how to interact with me, and he's never taken care of me. Sometimes, I miss it, the innocence before my mom died when I could be a kid."

That was a lot of information for Noah to take in, and he didn't know what to say for a minute. He just sat on the bed, rubbing Kurt's back and rocking slightly. He almost hoped that Kurt would talk again, but when he didn't, Noah decided the silence had gone on long enough.

Pushing Kurt away from him just slightly so Noah could turn Kurt's head and look into his eyes, Noah said, "Kurt, I love you. No matter what your dad says or does to upset you, I'm here for you. I don't like to see you upset, baby, and I think you held all this in for too long. Next time you feel like this, tell me so I can help. Even if that help is just listening. I love you, and I will never enjoy someone's company more than yours. Now, how can we make you happy?"

Kurt allowed himself to be pulled into Noah's strong embrace before pulling away and shrugging. "I dunno."

"Are you hungry?"

Kurt nodded. "I guess we haven't eaten, have we?"

"No. How about pizza and a movie? I'll even watch a musical with you." Noah winked.

That brought the tiniest smile to Kurt's lips. "Sure."

"Great." Noah kissed Kurt's cheek. "You pick one out, and I'll go order. 'Kay?"

"Okay," Kurt agreed, climbing off of Noah's lap to go look at his DVD collection.

Puck pulled out his phone as he headed downstairs to find the pizza menu. He was going to make things better for Kurt. He just didn't know how yet.


	2. Puck's Search

Puck mulled over that question for the rest of their Friday together. As he watched Kurt just going through the motions that evening, he decided that after Moulin Rouge, they should call it an early night. Noah hoped that the dark and silence would help him to find a solution. It did not. He found himself wide awake at 1:15 A.M., curled around Kurt, still thinking, unable to close his eyes or shut down his brain. He kept coming back to one thing that Kurt had said: he missed being cared for.

There had been a girl that Puck had seen briefly, while he was still into that. She'd been into...something. Something about being little or something. It was a "nontraditional" relationship, he remembered, and at the time, he hadn't been interested. But, he'd done some research then on what she'd been into. He knew it had seemed odd to him, however, maybe now it would be the answer he was looking for. He couldn't remember much about it, exactly, but those two thoughts wouldn't go away.

Finally, he carefully uncurled himself from around Kurt and climbed out of the bed. Going to Kurt's desk, he opened the laptop, quickly turning down the brightness so as not to wake Kurt. He plopped down softly into Kurt's desk chair and opened Google.

Noah tried to think of _exactly_ what she'd been into. They'd talked about it some because the girl had wanted him to be her...daddy. That was it. Her daddy. For her, it had been a sexual experience, something that led her to a good time in the bedroom. However, in Noah's private research, he'd read about having options, that it wasn't a strictly sexual relationship. There were many people who used that type of relationship as a way to relax, forget about their problems. It was recreational. However, he couldn't remember much of the specifics. He really wanted to know more, though. It hadn't been something for he and that girl, but Kurt was different. Noah loved Kurt, and he couldn't shake the feeling that maybe for them, this would be right.

Timidly, Noah Googled "little and daddy." He clicked through a few of the links, eyes scanning for any info that looked worth reading. There wasn't much that was helpful to him. Most of the links discussed different types of BDSM relationships. Not many went into great details, though. However, there were a few acronyms that seemed to recur: DDLG and DDLB. A quick Google search of those terms sent him on his way. He was soon deep into his search, reading through rules and punishments, blogs, and general descriptions of the relationship. The more he read, the more he liked the idea. He began to mentally craft a plan for the type of relationship he'd like to have with Kurt.

Puck wasn't a big fan of the idea of using diapers. In fact, he didn't want anything too extreme at all to begin with. Getting through the awkwardness at first would be difficult enough. He couldn't imagine doing anything too complex. They could always add in something more later if they felt like they needed to. So, definitely no diapers. No bottles either. Noah didn't want to make Kurt into a tiny baby. However, a toddler, the stage he'd been nearing the end of when his mother started getting sick, would be ideal. It would bring Kurt back to the time when things were easier. So, sippy cups, maybe a pasi, though Noah didn't think so at first, nap times, coloring. Things that wouldn't be too scary but would give Noah a chance to be in charge, to take care of Kurt.

He was less sure what he wanted to do on the punishment front. He didn't want to do anything that Kurt wasn't comfortable with, but punishments seemed to be an integral part of relationships like these. They would also certainly need a safe word so that if something stepped over a line, either one of them could halt things before it got to far. Laying out a plan in his head, though very tentative, was making him feel much better and a little excited, too.

But, how could he bring it up to Kurt? Something like this could make Kurt freak out if not brought up correctly. This was something Puck really thought would do Kurt good. He didn't want to be shut down before he could even get into explaining it to him.

After a few minutes of deliberation, Puck decided his best bet would be to let Kurt read about it for himself. Puck could open the door with discussion and then let Kurt read, let him pick and choose what he would like to try. So, Puck spent another half an hour carefully choosing the articles he thought best described the different aspects of the lifestyle.

Finally satisfied, Puck glanced at the clock. 3 A.M. He'd likely get about five hours of sleep before Kurt woke up. And Noah wanted to be sure he was ready for their after-breakfast conversation. They'd talk about it, he'd decided, and then go and do a little shopping for a few things that they'd need. This would put Kurt a little more at ease and make the transition easier. They had all weekend to experiment, and for that, Puck was thankful. Kurt loved shopping, and Noah loved Kurt. This would work.

To do all that, however, Noah needed sleep. So, he shut the laptop, quickly used the bathroom, and climbed into bed beside Kurt, wrapping one arm over Kurt's hip and putting the other beneath Kurt's pillow. As he drifted off, Noah felt a little thrill. He felt in his gut that everything was going to go well tomorrow. At least he hoped so.


	3. The Conversation

Puck woke to the sound of the shower running. So, Kurt had gotten up without waking him. How sweet. Stretching, Puck glanced at the clock. 8:30 A.M. He'd been right on the nose. Rolling out of bed, Puck pulled on a shirt and some shorts, then headed downstairs. He decided to throw together a quick breakfast, so he quickly mixed up some waffle batter and chopped strawberries to top them with. Deciding to further appeal to Kurt's sweet tooth, Puck also grabbed some whipped cream from the fridge to round out the meal. He was just finishing pouring the coffee when Kurt entered the kitchen, hair still damp but dressed in a tee shirt and jeans, his typical Saturday outfit when they were staying in.

Kurt sniffed the air appreciatively. "Mmm. You made breakfast?"

"Sure did. Waffles with strawberries and whipped cream. Here." Puck handed Kurt a plate and a mug of coffee before grabbing his own and following Kurt to the kitchen table.

Kurt inhaled the sweet scent of the waffles deeply. "Thanks, Noah. It smells amazing!" With a quick smooch to Noah's cheek, Kurt dug in, making tiny delighted moans as he ate the first few bites.

Noah smiled as he watched, enjoying his own food and reveling in the happy silence that surrounded the two of them. Though he still had some hope, he really wasn't sure how their conversation was going to go. He should enjoy the happiness while it lasted.

Kurt was the first to break the silence. Half his waffle gone, he sat with his coffee cup in both his hands, sipping slowly and breathing in the steam. "So, what are we going to do today?" he asked lazily.

Noah grimaced slightly. _Here we go_ , he thought. "Well," Noah pushed back in his chair, waffle finished and his coffee mug cradled in his own hands, "there's something I wanted to talk with you about. Something I was thinking about last night after you fell asleep, and I was having trouble sleeping myself. Then, I thought we'd go shopping, after we talked. After shopping, we'll just have to see what we feel like doing."

Kurt wasn't sure what to make of his boyfriend wanting to talk. It wasn't as though Noah never wanted to talk, but when he did, he was generally upset about something. Noah was a man of action, normally, and Kurt rather liked that. Noah was easy to predict, and Kurt usually didn't have too much trouble with planning out their days; he always knew what Noah would like to do. "What do you want to talk about?" he questioned, setting his coffee mug down and looking at Noah.

"Finish your breakfast first, baby. There're a few things I want you to read. They're upstairs."

Kurt went back to his breakfast obediently, wolfing it down but no longer enjoying it. He was full of apprehension about what Noah could want. Had he written him a breakup letter after last night? They'd had lots of discussions in the past about how Kurt's bad attitude affected their relationship and how Noah didn't like it, but Kurt had thought that after their talk last night, Noah had understood. Still, breaking up would stand to reason. Maybe Kurt had been too honest, and, after hearing that Kurt's dad didn't love him anymore, then why should Noah? Kurt had to fight to keep the tears back. Whatever happened, he could handle it. He'd been alone before; he could do it again.

Puck, for his part, was scared out of his mind, but a little bit joyous, too. Kurt had listened to him immediately after telling him to finish his breakfast. Maybe Kurt would be more receptive than he'd thought. But maybe he wouldn't. This was...big, in more ways than one. It could be a big change for their relationship. Or, it could be a big disaster. Puck supposed he should stop trying to guess. One of his favorite things about Kurt was that Kurt could completely surprise you and frequently did. Still, the unknowing was killing him. Hopefully, Kurt would eat quickly.

Just as that thought flew through Noah's mind, he was gratified to hear the scrape of Kurt's chair against the Hummel's kitchen tile as Kurt rose to put his plate in the sink. Puck shook himself from his reverie. It was time. He needed to focus. Noah rose from his chair and put his own plate in the sink, snagging Kurt's wrist as he tried to move away from Noah, heading in the direction of the bedroom. "Wait for me!" Noah smiled and planted a kiss on Kurt's cheek, intertwining their fingers. He wanted Kurt to know they were in this together.

Noah guided Kurt down the stairs and over to the bed, leaving him there with a quick squeeze to his hand before grabbing Kurt's laptop from the desk. He sat next to Kurt on the bed and took a deep breath, not opening the laptop.

Kurt looked nervously at Noah. "Well?"

Puck cleared his throat, looking at Kurt. He looked so scared. Puck sat the laptop aside and took Kurt's hands in his own, rubbing his thumbs gently across Kurt's knuckles. Even this small action seemed to relax Kurt a little, and Noah felt himself relax marginally, too.

"Last night," Puck said gruffly, "I had trouble sleeping after we went to bed. I kept thinking about our conversation before Moulin Rouge."

Kurt's eyes became suddenly teary, and his lip trembled. This was it. Noah was going to break up with him.

"There was something you said last night," Puck continued, unsure of what to do about the tears. He hoped explaining further would dry them up. "You said you missed being taken care of."

"I'm sorry," Kurt murmured, interrupting Noah's train of thought.

"What? Sorry for what?" Noah was concerned.

"I was too honest last night. That was too much for you, and now... nowyouwanttobreakup." Kurt's words were a rush, his tongue nearly tripping over itself as the tears ran down his cheeks.

"Oh, baby!" Noah wasn't sure how Kurt had gotten there, but he had to know that wasn't true. Full of surprises, as usual. "No, no, no. Just the opposite! I wanted to help you, do something to make you feel more cared for! That's why I couldn't sleep. I was trying to think of a way. Come 'ere." Noah pulled Kurt to him, and was happy to feel Kurt melt into him as he cried.

Kurt felt a little silly now. He didn't know why he jumped to conclusions like that. It was just that so many people had left him alone...

Noah waited a moment for the crying to slow before he started talking again, soft and low. "I'm sorry, baby. I didn't want you to think I was leaving you. I could never, ever, leave you. Ever." Noah squeezed Kurt. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too," Kurt said through a bleary smile.

"Anyway, after you fell asleep, I was still awake, thinking. Eventually, I got out of bed to do some research. I remembered something that an old girlfriend had talked to me about. I didn't try this with her, but when I was reading about it, I thought it could be good for us." Noah's words seemed to tumble out. He had to say them, though, or he'd lose his mojo.

Noah reached behind them, keeping one arm around Kurt, and grabbed the laptop as he spoke to Kurt. Kurt tried to pull away, stiffening at the mention of one of Noah's exes. Puck's past girlfriends were a bit of a sore subject for Kurt due to the unspoken fear that he could never tell Noah: someday, he was sure, Noah would leave him for a girl. Noah had left girls for Kurt; he could go back. But, Noah always promised that he loved Kurt forever. It could change, though, so the mention of an old girlfriend during such an intimate conversation was unnerving for Kurt.

Noah wouldn't let him pull away, though. He just tightened his grip on Kurt's side as he opened the laptop. Puck was still nervous, but he did his best to ignore it. He couldn't stop now. "I found some websites last night that describe what I'm talking about really well. I would like it if you'd read through them, then we can talk about what we think."

Kurt gulped as Noah handed him the laptop. He couldn't bring himself to look. Then he felt Noah's warm breath at his ear. "I love you. This isn't scary. Just read for me, baby. I'll be right here."

The bed shifted as Noah lay down behind Kurt. He put his hand on Kurt's back, rubbing slow, gentle circles as he began to sing softly. He wanted to give Kurt time and support.

Kurt let his eyes skim the page quickly. He caught a few words, but nothing immediately made sense to him. So, he took a deep breath in, closed his eyes, and listened to Noah's soft singing. He slowly let the breath out and opened his eyes, focusing them on the top of the page.

Silently, he read through all the articles Noah had left open for him. A plethora of thoughts and feelings went through him as he read, and he tried to make mental notes of what he wanted to say to Noah. When he was completely finished, though, Kurt mostly just felt confused. He didn't know what he thought of it all. Quietly, he closed his laptop and set it on the floor, turning to look at Noah.

Noah waited a moment or two, wanting to see if Kurt would begin the conversation. The longer the silence drug on, however, the more Kurt's expression scared Noah. The anxiety and confusion he could read in Kurt's face made him feel badly, so Noah began. "Did you understand all that, baby?"

Kurt nodded.

"What part seemed the least scary?"

Kurt shrugged.

"Come on, baby. We need to talk about this."

Kurt shrugged again.

Patiently, Noah rubbed Kurt's knuckles with his finger. "Which part seemed the least scary?" His voice was quiet, barely above a whisper.

"I don't know!" Kurt snapped, standing from the bed, stomping his foot and flinging his arms out to the side. "It's all pretty frickin' scary, Noah!"

Noah sat up then, grabbing Kurt's wrist and pulling him back to sitting, their hips touching. "Hey. Calm down, baby. I'm here, with you. It's just you and me." That seemed to help; Kurt sat, though stiffly, and didn't try to pull away from Noah. So, Puck decided to take the reins. "You don't have to talk for now, okay? I'm going to start. You just listen."

At this, Kurt's posture softened a bit, and Noah pulled him close, snuggling for a moment before he continued. "I want to take care of you. You said last night that you miss it, and I love you; I want you to be happy. So, if you'll let me, I'd like to be your...daddy." The last word followed a solid gulp as Noah tensed, waiting for Kurt to react to that. When Kurt didn't offer anything, Noah went on. "So, what I'd like to do with you," he said, giving Kurt a squeeze, "is talk about the things we'd like to incorporate, and then make a list of rules and punishments. I'll start."

Turning to face Kurt, Noah bean. "I had in mind that you would probably be in the preschool range, three to five years old. So, I'd like to get you a stuffie for naptime and playing, along with some other toys. Crayons and coloring book as well as basic art supplies. Sippy cups, that kind of thing. Does that seem okay?"

Kurt nodded slowly, ducking his head away from Noah.

Noah took his chin and guided his eyes back to Noah's face. "Please use your words and tell me what you're thinking, baby," Noah commanded softly.

"That's how old I was when my mom got sick," Kurt whispered quietly. "Four."

"I know, baby. That's why I chose it. Is that okay?"

Kurt nodded, eyes darting away from Noah again.

"Words, baby. Look at me, please."

"Yes." A beat. "Do I have to call you daddy?"

"Not if you don't think you'd be able to, or you'd find it too hard. I think it would be a good way to keep Noah, your boyfriend, and Noah, your caregiver, separate, though."

"Yeah. It wouldn't be so bad." Kurt was silent for a moment. Then, "I think we should just make the list of rules...and punishments...now. It will be easier."

Noah nodded. You're probably right. Why don't we take ten or fifteen minutes for each of us to compile a list of what we think is fair. Then, we'll talk about it together and make an official list. Okay?" Noah let Kurt's nod slide this time as he rose to grab each of them a pen and paper from Kurt's desk.

It took closer to twenty minutes for the boys to finish their lists, but Noah was feeling pretty confident with his choices. Kurt seemed more settled as well. "Ready to talk about them, baby?"

"Yeah. I guess."

"Good. Come here." Noah patted his lap.

Kurt tried to sit next to Noah on the bed, but Noah redirected him, and Kurt found himself nestled in Noah's lap, Noah's two strong arms wrapped protectively around Kurt. "Want me to go first?" came Noah's gentle voice.

"Please," Kurt breathed.

"Okay. Rule one: Be—Wait, before I do this, stop me if you want to talk about one, or if you disagree with me. Okay?"

"Mkay."

"Good. Rule one: Be respectful. Rule two: Be honest. Rule three: No yelling. Rule four: No bad words."

"Ummm..."

"Yes, baby?"

"Can you define what you mean by bad words? Like, is crap a bad word?"

"Did you get to use that word when you were three?"

"Noooooooo. But-"

"Then if you couldn't use it at age three, you can't use it now. Fair?"

"I guess...but why?"  
"I want you to go back to a time when your life was more carefree. Curse words are too grown up to feel like that."  
"Kay..."

"Kurt, if you don't agree, you don't have to say you do. I won't be mad if we need to change something. Remember, I want this to be a positive for both of us. It won't be if you aren't okay with the rules before we even start."

"It's really okay. I wasn't sure about it, but it makes sense when you explain it. I'm willing to try it." Kurt looked back over his shoulder to give Noah a little smile. "Promise."

"Okay. Rule number five: Use your manners. Rule six: Listen to Daddy."

"But what if I don't want to?"

"I'm not just going to tell you to do things for fun, baby. I will only do it to keep you safe and healthy."

"But what if I don't agree that it keeps me safe?"

"Then we can talk about it. Okay? I won't just use it to be cruel to you. But, part of this relationship is that you have to trust me to make the right decisions for you. Trust is a big thing, here."

"Kay. I trust you. I just needed to know." Kurt settled into Noah further, leaning his head back against Kurt's chest.

"Bedtime is at eleven. Rule seven."

"Always?"

"Yes. Even when I'm not spending the night."

"That's early."  
"I can make it earlier." Noah wasn't sure that he was serious, but he didn't want to let Kurt make an important decision like this straight out of the gate.

"Uh uh! Eleven is good!" Kurt was starting to sound younger already, responding to the commanding tone of Noah's voice.

"Good." Noah was grinning. "Eight: Don't tell Daddy no." Puck paused, sure Kurt would have something to say about that one.

He didn't. "Is that all?"

"Not quite. Rule nine: Obey Daddy. Rule ten: Follow all rules. I also put a note at the bottom of the page that says rules may change as I see fit."

Kurt smirked. "We don't need a rule that says 'follow all rules.'"

Puck smiled. "I think we do. Just in case." He winked at Kurt. "Do those all sound reasonable?"

"I think so."

"Great. What are your rules?"

Kurt suddenly seemed shy, his voice low and quiet enough that Noah had to strain to hear him as he spoke. "My rules are for you..."

"For me? That sounds good, baby. I hadn't thought of that." Noah pressed a kiss to Kurt's temple. "Will you read them to me?"

"Yeah." Kurt's voice was still small, but the volume had picked up a little, enough that Noah could hear now. Kurt's tone, though, was taking on a bit of a childish lilt now, and Noah couldn't hold back the smile that lit his face when he hear it. "Number one: No yelling. Number two: Be understanding and symp'thetic. Number three: Explain things when they don't make sense. Number four: Love your baby. A lot. Forever 'n' ever."

Noah's grin got just a little bit wider as he heard the last rule, and he gave Kurt a big squeeze. "I love them, baby! That was such a good idea." Noah was so proud of Kurt for trying this out, and he wanted to be sure to lavish him with praises. "I think you should add one, though."

"What is it?"

"Talk to Kurt before changing the rules."

Kurt twisted to look at Noah. "Why? Won't you do that anyway?"

"Yes, baby. Of course. But I think it's good to have our biggest expectations down on paper so we always remember them."

Kurt nodded. "Kay." He carefully added rule number five to his beautifully written sheet of paper. "There." He handed it to Noah. "You keep it?"

"Sure. You ready to talk about punishments now?"

"Uhhuh."

"Did you make a list?"

"No. I thought I would just listen to what you thought."

"Alright, baby. Here's my list. Stop me if you have something to say about it."

Kurt nodded, settling into Noah and bringing his knees to his chest so he could wrap his arms around himself. Noah knew that this part of the conversation would be more difficult which was why he'd saved it for last. That was also why he spoke in a soft tone, voice gentle, practically a murmur in Kurt's ear. "These first few I would most likely use if you were being cranky: no TV, no cookies, and early bedtime or additional naptime."

Kurt wiggled a little, but didn't say anything. So, Noah continued. "Time out, writing lines, no bathtime bubbles, and no bedtime story. These would be used maybe when you don't listen or for a minor case of rule breaking."

"How would time out work?"

"I would send you to the corner to think for a while before we talk about your behavior."

"Oh. That's probably okay."

With a squeeze to his boyfriend, Noah went on. "Soap would be for bad words or lies."  
"Soap is gross!" Kurt moaned. His father had soaped his mouth on a few occasions throughout his childhood, and he remembered that the soap taste lingered. This one did not make him very happy. But it was punishment. It wasn't supposed to make him happy, he acknowledged.

"That's why it works, baby."

Kurt shuddered, and Noah expected him to protest further. When he didn't, Noah went on. "Grounding. I'm not sure exactly when I'd use that."

"What would grounding be like?"

"Not getting to go out for fun or with your friends. Removal of privileges, probably. Kinda like what your dad would do."

"Kay."

"Um, last one." Puck swallowed. "Spanking. This would be for big stuff."

Kurt's eyes were big as he turned to Noah. "I don't know if I'm okay with that."

"Why?"

"That hurts, Noah! My dad did it a few times when I was a kid, and it wasn't fun. I don't want you to hurt me!" Kurt wailed the last sentence.

Noah put his hands on either side of Kurt's face so he could look into his eyes. "Spanking you and hurting you, beating you, like you're talking about, isn't the same. Spanking is a form of correction. A beating is just cruel. Yes, a spanking will hurt a little and not feel pleasant, but I will NEVER do something to you just to be cruel. I love you. You have to trust me. Do you trust me?"

"I trust you, Noah. It's just scary. It's just a lot to ask of me, to turn over control of decisions and to accept punishments from you."

"I know, baby. I know. But you know that I love you, right?"

"Uhhuh."

"And you believe I'd never hurt you?"

"Yes."

"Good. Then are you okay with leaving spanking on the punishment list?"

"I guess so," Kurt whispered.

"My good baby." Noah gave him a tiny kiss to the tip of his nose. "Then all that's left is a safeword."  
"Like what?"

"Well, we can pick a word that's important to us to use, or we could use the red and yellow system. Red stops everything immediately. Yellow means that we slow down and talk about what's going on."

"I think red and yellow is good. It's easy to remember."

"I'm good with that. Red and yellow it is, then."

Noah made a note of that on his rules paper, then set everything aside. Noah pulled Kurt tightly against him in a hug, Kurt's chest to Noah's back, rocking back and forth just a little. "I love you so much, baby. Thank you for trusting me on this. I really think this will be good for our relationship. You did such a good job with the rules discussion. I"m so proud of you."

Though Kurt wasn't sure why, Noah's words made him feel warm and fuzzy, and he beamed. "Thanks."

Noah rained down kisses all over Kurt's cheeks and the top of his head, pulling him close and squeezing him hard, making Kurt a little bit breathless.

Finally, after a minute or two, Kurt began to giggle. "Stop! Too many kisses!"

"How about some tickles, then?" Noah dug his fingers in under Kurt's rib cage and watched as his boyfriend dissolved into a puddle of giggles and shrieks of laughter.

After a few minutes of tickle fest, Noah stopped, letting Kurt catch his breath finally. "I thought it would be good to go shopping now, grab some things to make this easier. Do you want to go?"

Breathless, Kurt nodded. "Uhhuh...Daddy." The name felt foreign on his tongue, but Noah's smile was worth it. He supposed he could get used to the word, so he may as well start using it.

"Kay, baby. Go get your shoes on then."


	4. The Shopping Trip

The boys' drive to Target was comfortable; Puck put on one of Kurt's favorite CD's in an attempt to relax him. Kurt seemed mostly content, singing along quietly to the music and looking out the window.

As he drove, Noah thought about what this long, three day weekend would mean for them. Noah had decided the night before that if Kurt agreed to this new relationship, he was going to make all the transitions at one time so that there was only one adjustment period. He'd read many varying opinions on that the night before, some saying there was less struggle when the little was already expecting change; others said gradual changes were better because they were less stressful. In the end, he'd decided that it would be better to back off than to wish he'd done more in the beginning.

Even though he hadn't made a list, Puck thought he had a pretty good idea of what he wanted to buy. He needed to get the essentials to get them started, and probably a few things just to make it easier. Kurt's job would be to pick out things like toys and sippy cup patterns so he couldn't complain later that he hated them.

Puck knew that this trip would be expensive, but he was ready and excited. So, he was eager to get inside once they found a parking space in the crowded lot. Kurt was not.

"I dunno, No—Daddy. Won't someone think we're weird?"

"No. No one knows us here. Plus, we can use the self checkout if we want to. Don't worry, baby. I'll beat up anyone who gives you a hard time."

That got a giggle out of Kurt. Then he was serious again. "No punishments in the store?"

Noah chuckled at that. "Planning to break some rules while we're in here, baby?"

"Nuhhuh. But I'm not okay with that. If I do or something."

"Kurt, the point of this new part of our relationship is to help you, not to set you up to fail. I don't want you to be afraid of this. It's me, remember? Your Noah, your boyfriend who loves you and knows you, and only wants what's best for you. Would I do something to intentionally upset you?"

Kurt shook his head.

"That's right. So no, I won't punish you in the store unless you make me. So don't give me a reason to. Come on. Let's go! You love shopping!"

"Promise?" Kurt still seemed a little leery.

"I promise. Let's go, baby!" Puck hoped he wouldn't come to regret his promise. Not that he planned on Kurt misbehaving, but he'd read that a little's first response to new rules was to push the boundaries.

After getting a cart, Puck decided to start in the toy section, which would probably be the easiest thing for Kurt to choose. So, they headed toward the toy section at the back of the store. Puck hadn't realized that they'd be walking directly past the infant section, however, and his excitement made him distracted. Noah rolled the cart into the bath aisle and began looking for a shampoo, much to Kurt's dismay.

Kurt tugged at Noah's arm. "We don't need that!"

"We won't use it all the time," Noah reassured. "Just when I give you a bath. I don't want to use the products you have; they're too confusing, and I don't want to be accused of using them wrong."

"Noooooaaaaah! We don't need that!" Kurt whined quietly. He wasn't happy, but he didn't want anyone else to hear either.

Noah was silent, two bottles in his hand that he was comparing. He wanted to appear to be concentrating on what he was reading, but really, he wanted to prompt Kurt into calling him Daddy. Noah thought the transition would be easier if he only responded to that, now.

Kurt waited for Noah to respond. Silence. "We really don't need that, Noah."

Noah silently put a bottle of Johnson's in the cart and pushed it further down the aisle to the washcloths.

"Daddy!" Kurt's voice was high pitched and clearly frustrated, coming out a little louder than he'd intended.

Noah turned quickly and pulled Kurt against him. "I know, Kurt. But I want to try it. If we hate it, we'll try something else, okay?"

Kurt nodded and Noah planted a kiss on his cheek. "Good. Now, what colors of washcloth do you want? These are super soft, and I think you'll like them."

Kurt and Daddy wound their way through the baby aisles, Kurt choosing the sky blue and soft yellow washcloths, three sippy cups (one with Minnie Mouse, one with elephants, and one with a checkered bow tie), a pail of bath toys that included ducks, dinosaurs, two sailboats, and a small pack of glittery bath crayons (which Kurt was most excited about), and the softest giraffe Kurt had ever felt (which he'd begged for, much to his embarrassment).

Everything was going well and Noah was feeling confident. He'd stopped on an aisle to look at baby monitors, but after a few minutes, he realized that he could no longer hear Kurt. He looked up from the box he was reading. Kurt was no where in sight. Quickly making a decision and throwing a box in the cart, Noah hurried off, desperate to find his baby. He buzzed past the aisles they'd already been down, thinking that perhaps Kurt had gone back to look at something again, reconsider his choices. He looked down each one as he strode past, but no Kurt. Maybe he' gotten bored in the baby section and had gone to the toys? No Kurt in the toy section. Music and movies? Nope.

Noah was worried. He knew Kurt was an adult, but Noah had put him through a lot that day. He knew Kurt was under emotional stress, and he didn't want him to be alone. Plus, not knowing where he was, even before that morning, had always bothered Puck.

He decided to go back to the aisle he'd been on when he lost Kurt, hoping Kurt had come wandering back. If Kurt wasn't there, he'd have to call him. And then they'd have to have a talk.

Puck pushed his cart back down the aisles, choosing to make a sweep past the registers as well, just in case Kurt had decided to purchase something. His face was sullen, upset by this interruption in a trip Noah had been looking forward to, his eyes glaring at the floor in front of his cart, head wrapped up in his irritation, which was usually a bad thing. Not this time. Had he not been studying the floor, he would have missed the tip of Kurt's black converse sticking out from the end of the books and magazines' aisle. Puck pushed the cart faster, eager to be reunited with his baby.

Kurt was sitting on the floor in front of the magazine rack, engrossed in an article in the latest edition of Vogue. To his left, a stack of books sat abandoned. To his right, a stack of magazines. Kurt seemed to not notice his Daddy's arrival, so Noah cleared his throat.

Kurt jumped a little, but when his eyes met Noah's, they were excited. "Can I get some books and magazines?" he asked. "I didn't bring my wallet or I'd get them myself. Hey, what's the matter?" Kurt asked, his excitement turning to worry when he saw the look on Noah's face.

Puck motioned for Kurt to get up and come to him. He didn't want to cause a scene. So, Kurt gathered the books and magazines off the floor and came to stand by the cart, facing Noah while studying his feet. Noah reached out and lifted Kurt's chin gently until his eyes met Daddy's.

"You scared me, baby." Noah's voice was gentle. "I didn't know where you went, and I was worried."

"I'm sorry." Kurt's lower lip trembled. "I was bored. And a little overwhelmed by all of this. Then I remembered that my mom read to me whenever I was feeling sad, and I knew there weren't any of her books left because Dad gave them to the neighbors to borrow, and they never gave them back. And, I wanted to see if they had any good ones here, so I came to check, and then I—"

"Shhh. Baby, it's okay. I'm not mad. You aren't in trouble. I was just worried about you."

Kurt nodded. "Sorry," he mumbled again.

Noah pulled him to his side, squeezing him tightly. "All is forgiven. But, new rule, baby. When we're shopping, you have to stay with Daddy and the cart. Okay?"

Kurt nodded again.

"Words please, baby."

"Okay, N—Daddy," Kurt said softly, eyes darting around to be sure no one had heard them.

Daddy squeezed Kurt again. "Now, can I see the books you picked out?"

Silently, with anticipation causing his eyes to glitter, Kurt handed Daddy the pile of books. Noah looked though them, pleased with the titles. Kurt had chosen "Where the Wild Things Are," "The Velveteen Rabbit," "The Napping House," "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe," "Because of Winn Dixie," "Winnie the Pooh," "The Cat in the Hat," and "The Giving Tree."

"I'll make you a deal, baby," Noah said, grinning at Kurt.

"...Kay...?"

"I'll get you all of these books, but no magazines today, and only if you stay with me the rest of the trip. Deal?"

Kurt thought for a moment. "Deal," he said finally. He wasn't terribly excited about not getting magazines, but he'd gotten attached to the idea of getting books. Maybe N—Daddy, he really had to get used to calling him that, would read him stories at bedtime. "Where to next, Daddy?"

Noah smiled. "Back to the infant section for a minute, then toys."

Kurt sighed dramatically, the thought of heading back to the infant section completely frustrating, but he nodded at Daddy.

Noah said a silent prayer. This part wasn't going to go over well. He reached out and nabbed Kurt's hand, placing it firmly on the cart. Patting it twice, he said, "Your hand stays on the cart please, baby."

"B-b-b-but!" Kurt sputtered.

"I don't want to lose you, again."

"I'll stay with you, though. I promise!"

"I know. I just want to be sure." Noah planted a quick kiss on Kurt's cheek. "C'mon, baby."

Noah made sure to keep his trip to the infant section short and sweet, swiftly grabbing the paci and bottle he wanted, having spotted them earlier. He sidetracked Kurt with another section of stuffies he'd noticed while Noah deftly hid the bottle and paci between the baby monitor box and the cart edge.

"Can I get this one?"

Noah looked up as Kurt turned around, a small brown dog in his hand.

"Sure, baby! Ready for the toys?"

That elicited a grateful nod, and the two headed toward the back of the store.

The rest of the trip went smoothly after that. Daddy and Kurt had a good time picking out toys for Kurt, some that Kurt wanted and some that Daddy wanted. Kurt had immediately gone to the Barbies, picking out three girls and two Kens as well as several outfits. Daddy had redirected them to get Legos and blocks and then the Hotwheels. Kurt found some plastic animals that he wanted, and Daddy grabbed some Playdough and utensils. After a quick stop in the craft section for crayons, markers, safety scissors (to Kurt's chagrin), glitter glue, and watercolors as well as three different coloring books, they made their way to the food aisles, the final stop on their Target shopping trip. Kurt was more than happy to help Daddy pick out snacks and juice for the weekend, even sweet talking Noah into buying some mac'n'cheese. He was less than thrilled with some of the fruits and veggies Daddy added to their cart, however.

"Daddy, I don't like broccoli!" Kurt protested, his new name for Noah falling out of his lips more and more easily, especially now. In his frustration, however, his hand had come off the cart for nearly the tenth time that morning.

Noah was around the cart in a snap, voice growling in Kurt's ear. "Hand on the cart. Now. We're going to go check out." He'd been lenient before, realizing that Kurt was mostly just excited about his new toys, so he'd gently reminded him to keep his hand on the cart, only threatening him once when he let go twice in less than thirty seconds. Shopping this long had made him tired, and he was nearly out of patience now, however.

Noah's tone should have convinced Kurt not to argue further, but Kurt wasn't listening to his conscience. Besides, how was he to know that Noah meant business unless he tested the boundaries. "No broccoli!" he pouted, stomping his foot.

Noah raised his eyebrow. "Would you like a nap? Little boys who argue must be tired."

"Not tired! I just don't like broccoli!"

"Who's in charge here?" Noah turned Kurt so he could look directly into his eyes. His voice was low but firm and controlled.

"You..."

"That's right. We may not eat the broccoli, but if we do, I'm in charge. And you'll try some. Because one of our rules is to obey Daddy, right?"

Kurt nodded.

"Words please, baby.

"Yes."

"Okay then. Are you ready to go to the checkout? I think we're done shopping." Noah returned to the front of the cart, glancing into the basket to double check his mental list.

"Uhhuh. I'm ready."

Kurt was quiet as they made their way back to the front of the store, embarrassed by his outburst over broccoli. "Daddy?" he asked quietly.

"Yes, baby?"

"Can we do the self check?"

"Sure we can."

"Thank you. And, I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For..." He didn't want to say "throwing a fit" because that sounded so childish. "For getting angry. And not listening."

"You're forgiven. I know this is still hard for you; you're still figuring this out. And so am I."

"Yeah...do I still have to take a nap?"

"Not if you can behave for the rest of the trip."

"Okay. Thank you!" Kurt kept his hand on the cart as he stepped back, switching hands then so he could give Noah a side hug.

Noah hugged him back, bending just slightly to kiss his head and whisper, "Love you, baby."

"Love you, too, Daddy."

Noah was pleased to see that only one other person was using the self checkout, and her cart was nearly empty. Stopping at the closest kiosk, Noah tapped the screen to begin and reached into the cart for the first item. "You can let go and hand me things if you want to."

Kurt grinned, happy for the reprieve, and began grabbing things out, handing them to Noah.

Had Noah been thinking, he might have realized that this was a bad idea. That thought, however, didn't cross his mind until too late.

"What is this?" Kurt screeched, shoving the newly discovered paci and bottle in Noah's face angrily.

"Those are for later," Noah replied calmly. "I bought them to try later, when we get more used to this." His voice was barely above a whisper. "Please do not make a scene, Kurt. We can talk about this in the car. Just hand them to me."

"No!" Complete with a foot stomp, Kurt glared at Noah. "I don't want them! I'm not a baby!"

"Kurt Elizabeth Hummel, you do not tell me no."

"I. Am. Not. A. Baby!" Kurt repeated, accentuating each word with a stomp.

Noah glanced around. No one seemed to be staring or looking their direction, and Noah wanted to keep it that way. Taking a step forward, he grasped the bottle and paci in Kurt's hands firmly, using them as an anchor to lean in close to Kurt's ear. "This is your last chance. Stop now or there will be consequences." Calmly, Noah turned, taking the offending objects with him, scanned the items, and placed them in a shopping bag.

Kurt stomped again. "Noooooo." When that didn't elicit a reaction, Kurt kicked the cart.

Noah wheeled around, eyes flashing. Grabbing Kurt's hand, he held it firmly onto the cart, his voice taking on a tone Kurt had never heard before. "You are officially in trouble now. I'd suggest you keep yourself from more trouble by following my directions carefully. Your hand stays on the cart. Right here." Noah patted the hand beneath his a little harder than strictly necessary. "You do NOT touch anything else. When we finish in here, you will walk out to the car with me, and you will get in the car while I unload our stuff. When we get home, you will go straight to bed. Do you understand me?"

Kurt gulped. He'd pushed too far, made Noah angry, and gotten himself into trouble. He'd seen Noah angry before, before they'd decided to start this arrangement this morning, and Kurt knew that you did not want to argue any further with angry Noah. But he couldn't help the little stomp and the "Fine!" that escaped his lips. He was too invested in this to give up that easily.

Noah raised an eyebrow. When Kurt tested, he really went all out, apparently. "Watch it, Kurt. Any more outbursts, and you'll be getting more than a nap. Now, what is the correct response to me?"

"Yes, sir," Kurt mumbled out, not wanting to know, at that moment, what more Noah could dish out.

"Good boy," Noah responded, returning to scanning their items.

Kurt found his feet incredibly interesting as Noah finished the transaction. He could feel the color rising into his cheeks as he thought about the way he'd acted just then. He wondered if anyone else in the store had seen him. What was wrong with him? A seventeen year old boy throwing a fit like a three year old? His brain was having a hard time processing anything clearly at that point. He knew he shouldn't be this upset, especially to the point of stomping and yelling, yet he could still feel a part of him screaming that the bottle and paci were not fair!

"Let's go." Daddy's voice tore thought Kurt's train of thought. Daddy led the cart and Kurt to the car. Kurt meekly crawled into the front seat, buckling his seat belt and waiting for Daddy to finish loading the car.

The ride back to Kurt's house was quiet for the first ten minutes or so, each of the boys lost in thought. Kurt was again thinking over the full unfairness of the situation and how to get out of a nap, which he did not need because he was not a baby. Daddy was thinking about the prospect of having to now dole out punishment, something he'd been hoping to put off for the first little bit. He knew that correction was something Kurt needed and part of why he'd wanted to do this in the first place. Kurt needed to know someone cared about him, about what he did, and that negative behavior would have negative consequences. Noah just hadn't expected to do that on day one. He wasn't sure why he'd thought that, he realized. He knew Kurt never did something part way.

"Daddy?" Kurt was the first to break the silence.

"Yeah, baby?" Noah chanced a glance at Kurt's face as he drove, taking in the shift of his eyes from Noah's direction to the floor, the fidgeting of his fingers.

"I'm sorry I was bad."

"Kurt, baby, you aren't bad. You're a good little boy, and I love you very much. Sometimes you make bad choices or show bad behavior, but you are not bad. The bad choices are the reason we started doing this. No matter how many naughty choices you make, I'm still going to love you. I'm just going to be there to hand out consequences as well."

Kurt was silent for a moment, and Noah hoped that he was thinking about what he' said. Quietly, Kurt asked, "Do I have to take a nap?"

"Yeah, you do. That's the consequence for acting up at Target." Noah glanced at the clock just then and groaned internally. Nearly 12:30pm. He needed to feed Kurt before he sent him to bed. "But, I've changed my mind just a little. When we get home, I'm going to make you some lunch," Noah went on. "While I make lunch, you'll go to time out and think about what you could have done differently today. Then, after we eat, you'll lay down for a nap."

"Daaaaaaaaaaaddy! No time out!"

"Kurt, you are not in a position to argue right now."

"But, I-"

"Kurt, I want to have a good day and a nice long weekend with you. Do you want that, too?"

"Yeah..."

"Then stop whining and do as you're told. Punishments can always get worse. But I want to spend our time playing and getting more comfortable with this new part of our relationship. Can we do that?"

"Uhhuh."

"So no more arguing?"

Kurt really did want to have a good time with Noah. If Noah was serious about this part of the relationship, and it seemed that he was, Kurt didn't want to spend all their time together dealing with punishments. Plus, if he was being honest, some of the punishments scared him a little, and he wanted to avoid them at all costs. It wasn't that he wanted to misbehave, either, though. He hadn't meant to do it at Target. But having his adult freedoms taken away after really just getting them was hard. Kurt had always had a difficult time relinquishing power, and he'd been responsible since he was a child. Which was why they were doing this, he reminded himself. "I'll try."

"Good boy." Noah turned off the car, and Kurt realized they were already in his driveway. Noah handed him the keys. "Go unlock the door, then I want you to stand in the empty corner in the living room for time out."

Kurt nodded glumly and headed inside without another word.

Noah went to the back of the car and began gathering bags into his hands, trying to take his time and give Kurt a chance to follow his directions. A little piece of him was afraid that Kurt would test again, and he'd have to up the ante. Swiftly, Noah carried the bags into the house, dropping off the food in the kitchen before taking everything else up to Kurt's room. As he trekked across the house. Noah peeked into the living room, relieved to see that Kurt had indeed done as he was told. He had his head leaned against the corner, and he was shifting from foot to foot, but he was there. They could work on proper time out etiquette later.

After dropping the bags off in Kurt's room, Noah returned to the living room, going to Kurt and wrapping him in a hug from behind. "Thank you for listening, baby," Noah murmured.

"I'm sorry!" Kurt's voice was quiet but desperate.

"I know. It's okay. You are my good boy, and after your nap, we'll start over fresh."

"Kay...can I come out now?" Kurt leaned into Noah and turned his head to give Noah his best puppy dog eyes.

"Not yet, baby," Noah replied, trying his best to suppress a smile. "Once I get lunch made."

"Is that gonna be long?" Kurt whined.

Noah pressed a kiss to the side of Kurt's head before stepping away from him. "Not so long. You just stay here and think about your behavior. I'll be back to get you when I'm finished making lunch." Noah ignored Kurt's sigh as he headed into the kitchen. A quick lunch of turkey sandwiches and apple slices would be good enough for now. When Kurt woke up, he'd make a snack. And hopefully, they'd have a better afternoon.

Kurt did not enjoy "thinking about his behavior." It was boring and plus, he already knew that he shouldn't have done it. Otherwise, he wouldn't be standing there, about to be sent to bed to nap like a baby. But, Noah could have done more. Could still do more. And maybe, if he was on his best behavior during lunch, Daddy would nap with him.

So, it was a relief to both boys when Noah came to release Kurt from the corner. The boys ate their lunch in relative silence, the only sound in the room the clank of dishes and cups. Daddy hadn't unpacked the sippy cups yet. He'd save that for snack time.

When lunch was finished, however, Noah wasted no time in hustling Kurt up to his room.

Much to his chagrin, Daddy made him use the potty then helped him out of his jeans before pulling back the covers so Kurt could lie down.

One of the picture books they'd purchased that morning caught Kurt's eye as he settled down beneath the covers. "No—Daddy?" he asked tentatively.

Noah turned from where he'd been folding Kurt's pants over the back of a chair. "What's the matter, baby?"

"Can you read me a story?"

"Do you think you deserve a bedtime story?"  
Kurt shook his head sadly. "No, sir."

"I have to say that I agree. For nap time, no stories. We can try that at bedtime tonight. And, if you're good, maybe I'll add on an extra one to make up for it. I will put some music on, though, if you want, baby."

Kurt nodded, so Noah set about turning on a lullaby station on Pandora, setting the volume so Kurt could just hear it.

"Will you sleep with me, Daddy?"

"No, pumpkin. Not today. This is a punishment, remember?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good boy." Noah leaned over and planted a kiss on Kurt's cheek "Sleep well, baby. I'll be back to check on you in a little while. I love you." With that, Noah grabbed heir shopping bags and left the room.

Kurt was surprised to find he was actually tired. As he settled against his pillows, he thought to himself that this might not be so bad after all. He could maybe get used to this.


	5. Kurt's First Spanking

Kurt woke from his nap nearly two hours later feeling warm and fuzzy. He lay in his bed, comfortable, as his groggy brain tried to piece out how he'd even ended up in bed in the first place. It wasn't until he glanced lazily at the clock that he heard the lullabies coming out of his laptop speakers. Then the events of the day came hurdling back into his head.

Daddy had made him nap as punishment for he way he'd acted at Target. Which still wasn't fair. Daddy shouldn't buy things like that without talking to him. But, Daddy had told him after his nap everything would be forgiven. Still, he had to be sure. He didn't want Daddy to be mad at him, even if Daddy was not fair.

Slowly, Kurt sat up in bed, something falling to the floor as he did. Peering over the edge, a huge grin grew on Kurt's face. As he'd slept, Daddy had apparently slipped the giraffe and the dog into bed next to him. Kurt could see the giraffe lying next to his slippers, and the tail of the dog was just visible beneath the bed skirt. Quickly, Kurt snatched the animals from the floor, tucking them between his body and left arm as he made his way downstairs to find Noah.

Noah could hear Kurt stirring on the baby monitors he'd set up while Kurt was asleep, but he decided to let him take his time, come downstairs when he was ready. Noah had spent the majority of Kurt's nap unpacking the things they'd purchased and putting them where he wanted them. It had been less than thirty minutes since Noah had sat down to read some more on a few blogs he'd seen recommended, but he was glad Kurt was up. He wanted to have a fun afternoon playing, coloring, and reading. Kurt found him in the rocker in the living room and unabashedly climbed in to sit on Noah's lap, snuggling up with Daddy.

Noah gave him a squeeze and a kiss to the temple after putting down his phone. "Have a nice nap, baby?"

"Uh huh. I slept for a long time." Kurt's voice was quiet.

"Yeah. You must have been tired."

Kurt didn't respond, instead playing with the giraffe, turning it in his hands and smoothing down its fur. "Geoffrey," he finally said, holding the giraffe up in the air.

"Geoffrey?"

"That's his name."

"Oh! That's cute."

"He's an elegant giraffe, very put together."

"I see." Noah chuckled. "What about your dog?"

"Thatcher."

"Well, that was quick."

"It's easy. I wanted a dog when I was younger, and I never got one. But that's what I would have named it."

"Well, I think it's a good name. I like it."

"Not good. Grand!"

Noah smiled. It was nice to see Kurt relaxing a bit. "Are you hungry, baby? Wanna snack?"

Kurt regarded Daddy with squinted eyes. "What is it?" he asked, afraid Daddy would try to feed him broccoli or something equally as disgusting.

"Crackers and cheese. And an apple with peanut butter."

"Sure!" Kurt responded quickly. Then he scowled. "But I'm comfy here." He snuggled further into Noah.

Noah wrapped Kurt in his arms and started the chair rocking as they snuggled together. "That's fine, baby. We can cuddle for a minute."

"Good." Kurt leaned his cheek against Noah's chest and played with his stuffies, both boys quiet for several minutes. "I'm sorry," Kurt finally murmured.

"Sorry for what, Kurt?" Noah asked, confused.

"For how I acted at Target."  
"Oh, honey. You're forgiven. Remember? I told you that once you had your nap, everything would be over."

"Yeah, but I was bad and-"

"Not bad. You aren't a bad boy; you're a good boy. You just sometimes make naughty choices."

"But I never apologized! And I was afraid you'd still be mad at me." Kurt's voice was barely above a whisper.

"No, Kurt. I'm not mad, baby."

"'Kay."

"Thank you for apologizing."  
Kurt mumbled something in response, but Noah couldn't hear it over the sound of Kurt's stomach growling.  
"You hungry now?" Noah tickled Kurt's tummy lightly, teasing.

"Yes! Daddy, no tickles!" Kurt shrieked with laughter.

"Not even a few?"

"Nooooo! Daddy, stop!"  
"Okay. No more tickles," Noah chuckled. "Would you like to go upstairs and put on some pants while I get your snack ready?"

Kurt glanced down, remembering he'd half undressed before his nap. Without a word, he scrambled up the stairs, and Noah rose, heading to the kitchen to prepare a snack. Grabbing one of Kurt's new sippy cups, Noah poured it full of milk, then got the Ritz crackers and a block of cheese. Noah put six crackers onto a plate and began slicing off six slices of cheese as Kurt came sliding into the kitchen in his stocking feet. He climbed onto a bar stool at the counter. Noah sat the cup of milk in front of Kurt before returning to the fridge to put the cheese away.

"No thank you."

Noah turned, grabbing an apple from the bowl on the counter. "No thank you for what?"

"The milk."

"You need to drink your milk."

"I don't like it."

"I know. And you probably have a calcium deficiency. Which isn't good for you. So, drink your milk, and then you can have something else."

"I don't like it!"

"Well, you'll have it with snack every day. I want you to have calcium, Kurt."

"I can get it in other ways! Like cheese! Or ice cream!"  
"Not enough."

Kurt didn't respond, simply pushing the cup away from himself and crossing his arms.

Noah set down the knife he'd been cutting Kurt's apple with, taking the cup of milk and putting it back in front of Kurt. "Please drink your milk, baby. I don't want to fight you about this."

"No!"

"Kurt. Drink your milk."  
"No!" This time, Kurt kicked at the cabinets under the counter in front of him.

"Kurt Elizabeth Hummel, do you tell Daddy 'no'?" Noah's tone was severe.

Kurt was out of his chair, throwing it backward wildly with his feet, and stomping as he shouted, hands on his hips. "I'm not drinking the fucking milk, Noah!"

Noah stood shocked for a minute, unsure of what to do. He'd been prepared to deal with telling Daddy "no", but the sudden cursing took him off guard momentarily. He swallowed, shaking himself. Kurt was testing. This was not the time to gawk at Kurt; it was time for action. Regarding Kurt with his most stern expression, Noah ordered in a quiet, steady voice, "Kurt, come here. Now." He was answered with a stomp on the floor, but no forward movement. "Kurt, if I have to come to you, I'll be adding to your punishment. Come. Here. Now."

Kurt stomped his way around the counter, stopping a few feet from Daddy. "What?" he asked, his voice dripping with sass.

Daddy closed the gap between the quickly, grabbed Kurt's arm to turn his body toward the counter, and landed five crisp smacks to Kurt's bottom.

Even over his sweatpants, they stung. Kurt glared at Daddy as he whirled back to face him, his free hand reaching back to rub at his bottom. "Ow!" he complained.

"Keep up the attitude, little boy, and there will be more where that came from," Daddy warned. "Now, you're going to march yourself to the bathroom, and I'm going to wash out your mouth."

Kurt's sassy demeanor instantly faded. His body became stiff and his face paled. "Daddy! No! You don't need to do that!"

"Don't tell me no, Kurt!" Daddy was starting to get frustrated. "And I most certainly do have to do that. Can you tell me why?"

"But I won't do it again!" Kurt's eyes were becoming glossy and his voice shook a little. Noah pulled him close, smoothing some hair away from his forehead. "I'm glad to hear that, baby. But you already did it this time. So we need to deal with that. Can you tell me why I have to wash out your mouth?"

"'Cause I told you no." His voice was incredibly small.

"And?" Noah prompted.

"And used a naughty word."  
Noah gave Kurt a tight squeeze. "That's right." With that, he turned, Kurt's wrist still firmly in his hand, and headed toward the small bathroom just to the left of the kitchen.

Kurt resisted only slightly, pulling against Noah's grip experimentally for the first few steps before following along docilely.

Daddy flicked on the light and closed the toilet lid. "Sit," he instructed kindly as he busied himself with getting a washcloth from beneath the sink and wetting it. Then, he took a fresh bar of soap and began to lather up the washcloth.

Kurt's eyes never left Daddy, watching everything that he did, even as the tears began to fall down his cheeks. He made no noise, just let the hot, fat tears roll down his face, a few making it to his chin and dripping into his lap. This was one of the punishments he'd been nervous about, though not as nervous as getting a spanking. His dad had never used soap on him, but he'd heard kids talk about it back in grade school, and it sounded terrifying. He couldn't hold back a shaky sob then as he realized this was about to happen, and he couldn't change it.

Noah's heart broke as he heard his baby sob. A glance at Kurt's sorrowful face, and he dropped the soap and washcloth into the sink, crouching in front of Kurt. "Baby, what's wrong?"

But Kurt couldn't answer. That one sob and unleashed a flood, his tears coming uncontrollably now.

Without another word, Noah picked him up off the toilet, surprised by how light he felt, and carried him to the living room. He settled them back into the rocker he'd been sitting in earlier and slowly began to rock them, rubbing Kurt's back and murmuring reassuring phrases into his ear.

Eventually, Kurt's crying subsided to tiny hiccups and sniffles. Still, Noah continued to rock them in silence until he felt Kurt's body relaxing against his own. Noah chanced a glance at Kurt, then.

Kurt's cheeks were pink from crying and damp from all his tears. His head was leaned against Noah's chest, eyes drooping closed, and his right thumb tucked into his mouth, index finger rubbing gently at the tip of his nose. Noah squeezed Kurt to him momentarily, then kissed his hairline, keeping his lips near Kurt's skin as he commented, "That was a lot of feelings, baby." When Kurt remained silent, Daddy prompted, "Will you tell me about it?"

Kurt whined. "Stheepy," he garbled around his thumb.

Gently, Noah tugged Kurt's thumb from his mouth. "If you're sleepy, maybe you need early bedtime tonight," he gently teased.

"Nuhuh."

"Okay. Then let's talk about what made you react like that."

"Don't wanna," Kurt whined, pressing his face against Daddy's chest.

"I can't help you if you don't tell me about it."

Kurt shook his head.

"Alright. I'll give you a choice. We can talk about it now, or we can wash out your mouth, have your snack, and then talk about it."

"Daddy, don't wash my mouth!"

"Baby, you've been obstinate all day. Don't make me add on punishment for disobedience. You've told me "no" and you cursed already. That's one thing I simply won't stand for. You knew that. You deserve to have your mouth washed out. Cursing is against the rules, remember?"

"But you do it!"

"You're right. I have done it in the past, and I shouldn't have. But this isn't about me. This is about you. And you're getting your mouth washed out. Do you want to talk before or after?"

"Before," Kurt mumbled, face hidden in Noah's shirt.

Noah continued to rock, rubbing Kurt's back. He waited for Kurt to start talking, giving him a moment to gather himself.

"I was scared," came the quiet response a bit later.

"Of what, baby?"

"The soap..."

"Oh. How come?"

"My dad never used it, and I've always heard it's icky."

"Well, it certainly isn't yummy," Noah joked. "It's a punishment, Kurt. It isn't supposed to be fun. But it's also not good for you to be that upset over it. You have to trust me."  
Kurt was quiet for a beat. Then, "I know I'm not supposed to like it. But it's just scary."

"Would it help if you knew what I was going to be doing?" Noah could feel Kurt nod against his chest. "Well, once the washcloth gets all soapy, I'm going to rub it around in your mouth. Then, after a minute or two, I'll let you spit and rinse your mouth out."

"Don't want you to," came Kurt's whine.

"I know, baby. But that's the consequence for naughty language. Do you still feel scared?"

"Just nervous, Daddy..."

Noah made Kurt sit up then, pulling him around to look at Daddy's face. "Kurt, I love you. Always. No matter what you do. But, you have to trust me. I'm never going to do something to you to be mean or nasty. Punishments won't be fun, but they're something for you to learn from, not to make you scared of me. And once a punishment is over, you're forgiven. Do you understand?"

Kurt nodded.

"Words please, baby."

"Yes, Daddy. I'm not scared of you. Soap just sounds icky."

"It will be. But you can't use naughty language. It's crude and disrespectful. Do you understand why I have to do this?"

Kurt swallowed hard and nodded, eyes blurring up a little again. "Uhhuh."

"Let's get this over with, then."

Noah stood and carried Kurt back to the bathroom. Kurt didn't even protest, doing his best to keep the tears from coming again even as he prepared to accept his punishment.

Noah set him down on the toilet lid again. He then re-wet the washcloth and soaped it up quickly, wanting to get this over with as much as Kurt did. Despite what Kurt might believe at that moment, Daddy didn't like this either.

Once the cloth was good and soapy, Daddy turned to Kurt. "Open, baby," he said gently.

Kurt's eyes were wide, but he did as he was told, gagging a bit as the soapy cloth touched his tongue. He tried not to close his mouth as Daddy ran the washcloth around in his mouth.

Noah was thorough with it, wiping it on Kurt's tongue, teeth, cheeks, and roof of his mouth. Then, he put the cloth on the edge of the sink, squatting down in front of his baby. "I'm sorry I had to do that, Kurt. Daddy doesn't like having to punish you. But you can't use naughty language. I won't tolerate it. And every time you do, this will happen. Do you understand that?"

Kurt nodded, miserable, the acidic taste of the soap present on every surface in his mouth.

"My good boy," Daddy praised. Handing Kurt a paper cup, he said, "You can spit and rinse, baby."

Kurt gratefully took the cup, rinsing his mouth several times to try to rid it of the disgusting taste that seemed to linger no matter how many times he gargled. This was one punishment he never desired to repeat, even if it hadn't been as awful as he'd thought it would be.

After several cups, Noah gently took it from Kurt's hand. "Let's go have your snack, baby. That'll help with the taste."  
Kurt nodded glumly, following Daddy back to the counter. Silently, seated back on his stool at the counter, he took the sippy cup of milk and gave an experimental suck. "Yuck!" he proclaimed loudly. "Milk's yuck!"

"Just drink it, baby. Then, I'll get you some juice." Noah went back to preparing Kurt's snack, the cheese now a little floppy and the apple a bit brown. He did his best to ignore Kurt's little moans and whines as he gagged his way through the milk. Once the snack was ready, Noah set the plate in front of his baby. "Eat up." Noticing that the sippy was empty, Noah praised, "Good job, baby! Thank you for finishing your milk." He kissed the top of Kurt's head before going to the sink to rinse out the cup. "What kind of juice would you like?"

"Gwape?" Kurt asked, mouth full of food.

"Don't talk with food in your mouth," Noah chided. "And, how do you ask?"

Kurt swallowed his bite. "Grape, please."

Noah poured the requested juice, then came to sit next to Kurt a the counter. Sneaking a bite of apple, he asked, "What would you like to do after snack, baby?"

Kurt thought for a moment, chewing a bite of apple and peanut butter thoughtfully. "Playdough?"

"That sounds fun. I'll get the stuff. Finish your snack please."

As Noah moved toward the door to get the playdough, Kurt caught his arm. "Thank you, Daddy."

"For what?"

"For making me my snack. And playing with me." Kurt grinned, and Noah felt a burst of warmth in his chest. This was why he'd wanted to do this for Kurt. Seeing him relax and enjoy himself instead of running himself ragged with worry and frustration over what was happening in his life was worth every minute of frustration Noah felt when Kurt acted out.

"You're welcome." He blew Kurt a kiss, watching Kurt catch it and smoosh it against his lips. "I'll be right back."

"Love you, Daddy," Kurt replied, turning back to his snack.

"Love you, too, pumpkin," Daddy threw back over his shoulder.

The rest of their evening was relaxing. The boys played together for several hours, trying out their new toys and getting more comfortable in their roles. Kurt found that he really enjoyed being little; he felt calmer and more relaxed. He liked having Daddy take care of him. Noah liked taking care of him, he assured Kurt. This was working out wonderfully.

Noah fixed them a quick dinner that night, and they watched a movie together until bedtime. Though Kurt complained a little about Noah supervising him as he did his moisturizing routine and hustling him through brushing his teeth, after a bedtime story, both boys fell asleep quickly. They were tired from their long first day as daddy and baby.

The next day, however, Kurt's sweet behavior was gone. He was a colossal brat the whole day, continuously pushing boundaries and sassing Daddy at every turn. Kurt wasn't sure what had happened between bedtime the night before and that morning, but whatever it was, he didn't feel like being nice anymore. He wanted to do what he wanted to do, and Daddy was mean if he didn't let him.

Noah tried to be lenient with Kurt, giving him many chances and warnings before sending him to time out or making him write lines. After one particularly sassy comment, Daddy gave Kurt's bottom a few well placed swats, which had ended the sassiness for a bit.

The final straw came, however, after dinner that evening. Kurt had watched a movie before naptime that day, claiming that it was the only thing that would make him sleepy. Then, while Noah made dinner, he'd given in to Kurt's begging to be allowed to watch something on Netflix. Noah had hoped that allowing Kurt to watch a bit more TV would make him a bit more compliant the rest of the evening.

He had, however, declared the TV off limits after dinner. He wanted to get some time with his baby when he wasn't getting sassed for the two of them to just relax and do something fun together. So, after they'd eaten, while he cleaned up the dinner dishes, he'd sent Kurt into the living room to find a toy or something that he wanted to do with Daddy. When Daddy came into the living room after washing the dishes, he was horrified to find Kurt watching "The Little Mermaid."

"Kurt! I said no TV after dinner! I told you to find something for us to do. Turn it off." Noah stormed to the couch where Kurt was sitting and gave him the Look.

Kurt glanced up at Daddy and smiled his best smile. "I'm watching Little Mermaid!"

"No. You're turning it off."

Kurt plead, "But, I like it, Daddy! I wanna finish it."

"Too bad. Off."

"Just five-"

"No. Off. Now." Noah's patience was practically worn through.

"No," Kurt huffed.

Noah stalked to the TV and turned it off manually. "Time out," he said firmly, his voice much calmer than he felt.

"No!" This time, Kurt stomped and crossed his arms, his face hardening into a stubborn stare.

"Do not tell me 'no', Kurt Elizabeth. Go now or you will not like the consequences." This was not the first time today that they'd had the don't-tell-Daddy-no discussion, and Noah was fed up.

"What are you gonna do?" Kurt sassed.

Noah saw red. He began to advance toward Kurt, eyes flashing. "First, I will help you to time out," Noah gritted.

Kurt could see the immense frustration in Noah's eyes, knew he should stop now, but some little part of him told him that he had to see what would happen. So, he threw a pillow from the couch at Noah. When that didn't stop his advances, Kurt threw the television remote. It clocked Noah's right temple before crashing into a nearby lamp, knocking it to the floor and shattering the bulb.

Kurt's eyes grew wide. He hadn't meant to actually hit Daddy with the remote, just distract him. He didn't want help to the corner because he'd learned already today that help from Daddy was bad. It just led to more swats or lines.

Quickly, before Daddy could get any madder, Kurt scurried to a nearby corner, standing up straight, nose to the corner, arms at his sides, just as he and Daddy had talked about that morning.

Noah stood dazed, hand pressed to his temple, shocked at Kurt's sudden shift in behavior. He knew he'd been acting out all day, but he hadn't shown any evidence of acting out violently. The hit had surprised him more than hurt him, and when he could finally get his brain to work a moment or two later, he assessed himself for damage before going to the corner that Kurt had planted himself in. Leaning over, he whispered into Kurt's ear, "You will stay here until I tell you to come out. You are already in a load of trouble, little boy, so do not make it any worse for yourself. Do you understand me?"

Kurt's voice was tiny. "Yes, sir." He did not like it when Daddy whispered. Whispering was scary.

"Good boy." Three firm swats to Kurt's bottom, and Noah walked away. Grabbing a plastic bag and the handheld vacuum cleaner from Kurt's hall closet, he set about picking up the largest glass pieces and sucking up the rest. Once he was satisfied that it was clean enough, he put everything away and headed to the kitchen, pouring himself a glass of water. He sat heavily at the kitchen table and sighed loudly. What had he gotten himself in to with Kurt? He'd really thought this would be a positive thing for them, but he hadn't expected this much opposition from Kurt. Everyone said that the first little while was hard, but it was way harder than he'd expected.

Noah swirled the ice in his glass as he thought. Did he want to end this now? No. That wasn't an option. To end it would be just like everyone else in Kurt's life, telling him they cared and then flaking on him. No, he had to stick it out, no matter what. He wanted to stick it out. Which mean that he had to spank Kurt, then. He had been dreading that a bit, knowing that getting spanked was one of Kurt's big fears. He didn't want another reaction like he'd gotten with the soap the day before.

Then again, Kurt had been practically asking for one all day. If Noah was being honest, he had probably, no definitely, been too lenient with Kurt's punishments all day. He'd been trying to be nice, to cut Kurt a little slack since they were still trying to figure everything out, but it had gotten him no where.

Swallowing a drink of the ice cold water, Noah resolved to himself that he was going to spank Kurt. Everything going forward would be easier once he had. Then, he and Kurt were going to sit down, and he was going to lay out some clear expectations. Kurt obviously needed to know exactly what to expect.

Kurt, for his part, was standing in the corner, contemplating his actions. Wasn't that what you were supposed to do during corner time? On one hand, he was relieved, in a round about way, that someone was taking notice of his actions and doing something about it. He felt like someone cared, and he hadn't felt that way for a while now. On the other, a large lump of dread was forming in the pit of his stomach. Daddy had said he was "already in a load of trouble," and that hadn't sounded good.

Kurt tried to swallow, his saliva feeling heavy and thick in his mouth, as his brain replayed the moment that the remote had smacked Noah yet again. He grimaced. That must have really hurt. He felt guilty. Really guilty. And his eyes felt prickly. And his body felt too heavy to hold up. All he really wanted to do was to find Noah and apologize, have Noah snuggle him close and tell him he was forgiven. But he couldn't right now; Daddy said he had to stay there until he told him to come out. So, the prickles in his eyes turned to tears, and Kurt sobbed, unable to hold back the guilt that he felt bubbling over.

Moments later, he felt Noah's gentle hands on his shoulders, guiding him to the couch where he was pulled into Daddy's arms and held as he cried.

"'m sorry!" he blubbered over and over. "'m sorry. 'm sorry..."

"Shhh, baby. It's okay," Daddy murmured, holding Kurt close. When his crying had quieted to hitched breathing, Noah helped Kurt to sit up, blow his nose, and wipe at the sticky mess of tears and snot on his face.

"Sorry, Daddy," Kurt whispered, eyes down cast and red from crying.

"I know you are, baby. And we'll get your punishment out of the way, and all will be forgiven."

"Are you okay?" came the quiet response as Kurt gently touched Noah's right temple.

Noah caught Kurt's hand and brought it to his lips, giving his palm a soft kiss. "I'm fine. Are you okay?" he asked, his dark eyes searching Kurt's lighter ones earnestly. "That was a lot of tears."

"I just feel bad...It makes my tummy hurt."

"Well, I know how to fix that." When Kurt didn't respond, Noah continued. "You're getting a spanking, Kurt. You've been angling one all day. I've tried to be nice, but I guess I'll give you what you so obviously want and need."

Kurt sputtered. "I don't want-"

"Don't argue with me. You've been pushing boundaries from the moment you got up this morning, trying to see how far you can push me before I spank you. Well, I let it go too far today. I can promise you it won't happen again."

Kurt didn't know what to say. The thought of a spanking was scary, but part of him knew that he'd hurt Noah; he deserved it.

Noah watched the emotions flitting across Kurt's face. In an effort to avoid the third meltdown of the weekend, Noah gripped Kurt's shoulders, turning his body to face him. He tilted Kurt's chin up just a bit until their eyes met. "Baby, relax. Take a deep breath for me." He watched as Kurt obeyed, his eyes flickering shut for just a moment as he slowly released the air. "I'm not going to lie to you, baby," Noah started when Kurt's eyes were again locked with his own. "The spanking will hurt. It's supposed to; it's a punishment. But, I love you. And I'm not doing this to be mean to you. I'm doing it to help you, to help you grow as a person. I know that you need someone to hold you accountable, to notice what you do, to show you that even when you mess up, you're still loved. I want to be that person for you. I CAN be that person for you. But, sometimes that means that I will make a decision that you may not like. You have to respect and trust me to take care of you, even if that means taking a punishment for you bad choices."

Noah paused to catch his breath, and Kurt nodded. His voice was breathy as he said, "I agreed to this. I knew I wouldn't always like it. But, I do trust you. And I appreciate what you're doing for me, Noah. But the...little...part of me is nervous." A hand sneaked back to protect his bottom. "I don't want a spanking."

"But you're getting one." Noah took Kurt's wrist, helping him to stand in front of him. He reached for Kurt's waist band, stopping momentarily to add, "The only person who can keep you from getting a spanking in the future is you. If you don't want to be punished, you just have to behave like the good boy I know you are." When Kurt nodded, Noah smiled. "I love you, baby."

"Love you, too, Daddy."

As Noah reached for Kurt's waist band again, Kurt jumped back just a bit. His dad had spanked him once or twice when he was very young, but he knew where this was going. "Please can I leave my pants on?" he whined. "It'll still hurt."

"Spankings are given on a bare bottom," Noah replied simply, pulling Kurt back to him. He made short work of divesting Kurt of his pants and boxers, whisking them to the hollows of his knees, then helped to gently guide him over his knee.

Kurt was thankful that his upper body could be supported by the couch instead of hanging over Noah's lap, but this small amount of comfort did nothing to lessen the embarrassment. He squirmed a bit across Daddy's lap.

Noah rested a heavy hand on the small of Kurt's back, his right hand ghosting across Kurt's bare bottom. "I don't want to have to do this, baby. But you've earned it. I hope I don't have to do this again any time soon."

With that, Noah brought down the first slap to Kurt's right cheek, causing Kurt to buck in surprised, a small "ow" escaping his lips. Noah wasted no time setting a steady pace, switching back and forth between cheeks, focused on turning Kurt's bottom an even shade of pink.

After the surprise of the first swat, Kurt vowed to take his spanking without complaint, trying to hold on to his last shred of dignity. His resolve lasted less than thirty seconds. Daddy's hand was hard, delivering harsh slaps to his unprotected butt. After a particularly hard swat, Kurt dropped his bravery act, whining with each smack, wiggling in an attempt to get away from Daddy's punishing hand or make the swats land some place where they wouldn't hurt as much.

Noah paused for a moment to shake a bit of the sting from his hand, then began again, putting a bit more snap into his wrist, looking to up the color a shade. He could hear Kurt protesting with each smack, could feel him shift and kick with each swat. "What SMACK is this spanking SWAT for, Kurt?" SMACK

Kurt swallowed. He could feel his eyes beginning to burn with unshed tears, and his legs were kicking almost on their own now. "Hitting you," he was able to grit out between "ow"'s.

"That's part SPANK of it. SLAP What else?" SMACK

Kurt tried to think, but he couldn't concentrate. His butt hurt too much. "Ow! Da-ouch! Dunno! Ah!"

"What were you SWAT doing when I SPANK came into the living room?" SMACK Noah shifted then, raising his right knee up to better expose Kurt's sit spots and gave a solid SMACK to the back of Kurt's previously untouched left thigh.

"AH! No, Daddy! Ow! Please no more!" Kurt was begging now, desperate for the pain to end, and teetering on the edge of sobs.

Daddy continued to spank. "What were you SLAP doing?"

"TV," Kurt gasped. "Daddy! Please! Owwwwww."

"That's right. SMACK Were you supposed SPANK to be?"

"Noooo. Ow! Ah!"  
"That's right. SLAP You deliberately SMACK disobeyed SWAT me. SPANK That is SMACK disrespectful. SLAP I told you SPANK no SWAT television. But you SMACK chose to disobey." SWAT

"Yes, sirrrrr," Kurt whined. "Owwwww."

"Almost done," Noah said, turning his attention to Kurt's sit spots.

Kurt went limp as his dam broke, and he cried hard as Daddy finished up with several hard SMACKs. He didn't even realize when the spanking was over, continuing to sob as Daddy rubbed his back gently, murmuring reassurances that Kurt was a good boy. Eventually, his sobs did begin to subside, and Noah helped him to sit up, pulling him close into a fierce hug, mindful of his very red bottom. "I hate doing that, baby. I don't like hurting you."

Kurt hugged Noah tightly. "Sorry I was bad," he whispered, throat scratchy from crying.

"Oh, baby." Noah wondered how many times he'd have to explain this before Kurt believed him. "You aren't bad. You made some bad choices, but you aren't bad. You couldn't be bad. You're my good boy. My very good boy, always."

Kurt didn't say anything, just burrowed further against Daddy, his thumb finding its way to his mouth as he gently rubbed at his nose with his index finger.

Noah carded his fingers through Kurt's hair a few times. "Sleepy, baby?"

Kurt yawned. "Yeth."

"I think it's early bedtime for both of us, then. Come on. Let's go get some pjs on you." Noah kissed Kurt's damp cheek before helping him to stand and guiding him up the stairs, picking up his discarded pants and boxers on the way. Noah sent Kurt to the bathroom to brush his teeth while he found a par of loose fitting boxers and Kurt's softest pajama pants. Then, he quickly pulled a par of gym shorts onto himself.

When Kurt re-emerged from the bathroom ten minutes later, having done a quick moisturizing routine as well as brushed his teeth and checked out his smarting butt in the mirror, he found Noah on his bed with one of his new books from the day before.

Noah slid off the bed and smiled at his baby. "Let's get these on, then I'll read to you," he said, gesturing toward the bed.

Kurt nodded, grateful. "Thanks," he muttered, trying to suppress another yawn.

"Come on, baby." Noah got him dressed quickly, then tucked him beneath his covers, going around to the other side of the bed as Kurt searched for a position that didn't make his bottom hurt. He settled on his tummy as Noah picked up the book and climbed onto the bed next to Kurt to read.

Kurt glanced at the clock. 8:42p.m. "Daddy! It's not even nine yet!" Kurt protested through his yawn.

Noah rolled his eyes. "And you're obviously tired. So it's bedtime. Would you like a story?"

"Please," Kurt responded sleepily, laying his head against his pillows and sighing contentedly, closing his eyes.

After "Where the Wild Things Are," Kurt talked Daddy into reading one more story. So Daddy read "The Napping House," too. But when Kurt began to beg for a third, Daddy put his foot down.

"No, baby. No more stories. It's bedtime."

"But Daddyyyyyyyy..."

"No, Kurt." Noah flipped on the lamp next to the bed before walking across the room to shut off the overhead light. Coming back to bed, Noah climbed in under the covers, pressing a firm kiss to Kurt's forehead. Kurt came over and put his head on Daddy's chest, snuggling happily against Daddy.

"How are you feeling?" Noah whispered, turning off the light and settling on his back, hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling.

"Sore," Kurt pouted. "But I don't feel icky anymore."

"Good." Noah paused for a long moment. "I was serious earlier, you know," he said quietly. "I don't like doing that to you."

"It kinda seems like you do. That hurt. You spank hard."

"It's supposed to hurt. It's a punishment. If you'd have liked it, I'd have done it wrong. But it hurts me more than it hurts you. It hurts my heart."

Kurt smiled softly against Noah's chest. "You sound like a dad."

Noah couldn't help but smile, too, though he still felt rather sad. "Guess I picked the right job, then." Another pregnant pause. "Do you want to keep doing this, Kurt?"

Kurt was silent for a long time, and Noah thought that perhaps he'd drifted off. Then he heard, "Yeah. I don't always like it, and you make my butt hurt, but I need it, I think."

Noah was relieved. "I think so, too, baby." His ears were met with a snore, and Noah settled against his pillows just a bit more. He was happy that Kurt was happy. He reached down and wrapped an arm around Kurt, nuzzling his hair for just a moment before closing his eyes and drifting off into dreamland. Things weren't perfect yet, but knowing that Kurt wanted this, too, made him feel like someday, things might be perfect.


End file.
